The present invention relates to an adjustable bundling device for holding together one or more items and to the method of making and using the adjustable bundling device.
Bundling devices, also known as cinching devices or trussing devices, facilitate cinching, bundling, rolling, stuffing, securing, holding and the like, of edible items, e.g. meats, fish, fruits and vegetables, as well as other items.
Since ancient times, cooking certain items has presented challenges. Items that tend to break apart during the cooking process present one of those challenges, such as poultry that is baked in the oven. One solution for poultry pertains to using a truss.
To truss means to secure poultry or meat into a compact shape. To truss poultry with string, you take a piece of butcher's string about three times the length of the bird, places the bird on its back, with the tail end nearest to you. You then slide the string underneath so that it is cradling the bird in the center of its back. You then gently pull the string up the sides, then around the wings of the bird. Pull the strings toward you, close to the breast of the bird, so that the wings are held against the body of the bird. Cross the strings at the base of the breast of the bird; then wrap each string around the end of a drumstick. Tie the ends of the string together, cinching it tightly so that the legs cross. Then lift the bird so that the tail end is up and wrap the string around the tail. Tie the string, pulling tightly so that the cavity is covered by the tail. Place the bird on its back again and bring the string back to the front, then tie it off. The bird is now ready for the oven. This is a complicated and time-consuming process.
Previous attempts to simplify this process and to provide for trussing poultry, for example, include the following. U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,241, issued to Volk, teaches using a one piece and substantially coplanar thin plastic member. U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,109, issued to Moncrief, teaches a fowl spit roasting holder of bent bar with neck loop and leg and wing restraining sections.
Prior solutions to holding food, such as shown by the Sydlosky patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,305, have been used to provide a way to hold food while transporting it from the baking pan to the carving area. Such provision for holding food is achieved by having the holding device placed underneath and on a plurality of sides of the food, e.g. a baking turkey, prior to the baking process, so that the food could be removed intact.
Another cooking challenge is the cooking of small items, especially on a grill. The problem with cooking small bits of food is that the food is hard to handle and the fire can easily burn a person's arms and hands if the person gets too close to the fire. Holding items together, such as food for cooking, has traditionally been accomplished by using string, toothpicks, skewers, large needles with thread, aluminum foil, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,935,013 to Onori discloses a skewer. Skewers of various designs are attempts to solve this challenge by mounting the food thereon so that it could all be handled at one time. The skewer also provides a handle which can be kept away from the fire so that the hand is not subject to getting burnt.
There are problems with these attempts to hold food for cooking. Using aluminum foil can contaminate the food and may scratch a Teflon coated pan. String and toothpicks may burn at the high cooking temperatures. Aluminum foil, string and toothpicks are generally not reusable. Using string, toothpicks or aluminum foil generally requires more than one hand. Sharp skewers or needles can be dangerous
While these patents and other previous methods have attempted to solve the problem of holding food during the preparation and cooking process, none have employed a device that cinches and is reusable.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved holding device that can cinch instead of tying, be reusable, engage and disengage faster than conventional methods, utilize fewer hands in its operation, will not scratch Teflon coated pan, and will not burn below intermittent temperature of 850° F. and 750° F. sustained.
The foregoing patent and other information reflect the state of the art of which the inventor is aware and are tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the present invention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.